Stella(r) Snow-etry

            A surprising third snow day Thursday presented the opportunity to write limericks. According to http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Limerick , a limerick has five lines. The first, second, and fifth lines have eight or nine syllables each. The third and fourth lines have five or six syllables each. The first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other. The third and fourth lines rhyme with each other.

            There’s also a meter, but let’s not go crazy here! If you read a few limericks, you’ll be able to feel the rhythm.

            Limerick Day is May 12, the birthday of Edward Lear who made limericks popular in England. By then, the weather will be so lovely we won’t have any reason to think of limericks. We thought of them March 16.

            The first three are mine.

This may or may not be Jamaica.

Stella attacked like a ghoul,
Winning me three days off school.
I slept till eleven--
A foretaste of Heaven!
Who says winter is cruel?

 

There once was a blizzard named Stella,
Who dumped tons of flakes on a fella.
We dug through the mound;
He finally was found
In Jamaica under an umbrella.

When it dips below thirty degrees,
My fingers and toes start to freeze.
When it gets down to twenty,
I need blankets aplenty,
To prevent icicles on my knees.

         Marcia Woodard wrote the next two.

PA's forecast, "More snow!" made folks scurry
To add layers of clothes warm and furry.
But though we were ready,
With hearts brave and steady,
Indiana got barely a flurry.

 

A fella was once heard to boast,
"I'm not just a fair-weather host!"
But when dozens got stranded,
And food was demanded,
All he had were supplies for French toast!

This is French toast and I am hungry.

        And Deb Troutman responded to Marica:

A storm full of snow
Was predicted and so
To the store I did run
Then had so much fun
Staying home reading and eating French toast!

 

        Kathy Scott lets us know that Stella was Irish.

There once was a snowstorm quite Irish.
It blew into town not so stylish.
It covered all green.
Not a shamrock was seen.
And all the gold coins turned to tarnish. 

       Bill Cheesman takes a brighter view of the Irish snowstorm.

In March the winds they did blow,
And then we were covered in snow.
In a change of the scene,
Everything was green
And all the Irish did glow!

       Beth Brubaker bemoans the fate of her car:

I hope this is not Beth's car.

I once had a car that was nice
though living here made me think twice
the snow and the sleet
Plowed on from the street
Has now encased it in ice! 

 

    

      Janyce Brawn laments the whole sorry situation.

Winter's chill prevails
The rain just hails
The roads are icy
And driving's plain dicey
I'll sniffle and cough with all my ails. 

     And finally, Dave Coup sums it up.

Snowflakes continued to fall,
Much to the worry of all.
They covered the road.
At home we abode,
Stella has paid us a call.

 

    

       Happily, the temperature is warmer today. Snow is shrinking around the edges and settling. It’s also crashing off of roofs. Hopefully we will salute this as the last disaster of Winter 2017.

Haiku. Do you?

         

            In an attempt to amuse and express myself on a second snow day, yesterday I posted haiku on Facebook about Storm Stella, and I invited others to do the same. As you surely remember from high school English class, a haiku consists of three lines. The first and third lines have five syllables each, while the middle line has seven syllables. I’m sure there are many more subtleties of themes and patterns, but for my snowbound purposes, I cared only about syllable count.

            However, just to be sure, I checked www.dictionary.com and learned “haiku” is already plural:

noun, plural haiku for 2.

1. a major form of Japanese verse, written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, and employing highly evocative allusions and comparisons, often on the subject of nature or one of the seasons.

2. a poem written in this form.

            And look! “…often on the subject of nature or one of the seasons.” We nailed it.

            Enjoy our feeble offerings as cabin fever infects us all. The first three are mine.

Lovely, deadly snow
My frozen heart burns with hate
Won't you please melt soon?

This is not my street. But it could be.

Where cars once were parked,
Snowy mountains line my street.
When will the plow plow?

A frigid trek to

Lisa's Milltown Deli, where
Friendship warms my soul

         

Author friend and humorist Beth Brubaker contributed this:

This is not my cat.
And it will never be.

Pane of a window

Is much better during snow

Than pain of shov'ling!

         

      Family friendly author friend Carrie Anne Noble sent this:

Drifting flakes of snow
May you blow away to He(ck)
Melt on Satan's brow

            

       Nonconformist author friend Linda M. Au proved her frugality with words:

Snow?
No!

This is not my church. But I am a Baptist.

           Everyone else was too busy shoveling, binge-watching, plowing, sleeping, or

 measuring and photographing the snow to compose haiku.

            Today’s challenge? Snow themed limericks. Keep them clean, friends!